Jewish Leaders Disappointed over British Government’s Statement on White Paper

Dr. Chaim Weizmann, president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, today refused to comment on the statement made yesterday by Colonial Secretary Col. Oliver Stanley in the House of Commons in which he indicated that Britain intends to stand by the terms of the White Paper which closes Palestine to Jewish immigration at the end of March 1944.

Other Jewish leaders here noted with satisfaction the fact that the Colonial Secretary emphasized in his statement that those Jews who were entitled to enter Palestine under the terms of the White Paper but were prevented by war circumstances from doing so will be admitted even after March 1944. At the same time, they did not conceal their disappointment at the fact that the principle of the White Paper remains in force.

The Zionist Review, official organ of the British Zionists, commenting on the Stanley statement declares that the extension of the immigration period is welcome, but does not change the general situation. It emphasizes that the fight for the complete abrogation of the White Paper must continue unabated.

The Manchester Guardian, in an editorial today, says that the Arabs know that “the noose of the White paper will be pulled tight next Spring on the Jewish National Home”. This knowledge, says the article, impels the leaders of Arab countries to push their plans at Cairo for the formation of a pan-Arab federation. They are also encouraged by the belief that the British Government is open to intimidation and is practicing appeasement, the paper says.